April 15, 2015

Notables

Ray Dorsey, the David M. Levy Professor in Neurology, was honored at the White House as one of seven “Champions of Change” who are doing extraordinary work to advocate for better treatments and a cure for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Dorsey, who is director of the Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics, has been a pioneer in the application of technology to improve access to specialized care for people with Parkinson’s disease.

Lynne Maquat, the J. Lowell Orbison Distinguished Service Alumni Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, received the 2015 Gairdner International Award, Canada’s foremost international award that recognizes the achievement of medical researchers whose work contributes significantly to improving the quality of human life.

David Korones, professor of pediatrics, has been awarded the 2015 Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Senior Physician Award, a national award for physicians who care for people at the end of life. Korones specializes in treating children with brain tumors and is the founding director of Golisano Children’s Hospital’s pediatric palliative care program.

The Teen Health and Success Partnership received the 2015 Millar Award for Innovative Approaches to Adolescent Health Care awarded by the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, an international organization committed to improving the physical and psychosocial health and well-being of all adolescents.

Paul Emile Rossouw has been appointed chair of the Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Department at Eastman Institute for Oral Health. He joined the institute March 1, after completing his role as professor of orthodontics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served as chair of the same department.

Robert Dirksen will serve as chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at the School of Medicine and Dentistry effective July 1. Dirksen has conducted research and taught medical and graduate students at the University since 1998.

Zhenqiang Yao, research assistant professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, received a $50,000 grant from the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester. He is investigating an “all-in-one” agent to be used when breast cancer spreads to the bone.

PhD Thesis Defenses

The following PhD thesis defenses and public lectures were scheduled recently: